Shrapnel damage on the inside of a seaplane hangar
is still untouched 65 years later. Corpsmen treat casualties
on board the USS Yorktown June 4, 1942 (below).
Many aviators launched from the
island and from U.S. carriers in search of
the fast-approaching enemy force, knowing
full well their chances of survival were slim.
As a Marine aviator myself, I know what that
means. Our Navy, Marine Corps, and Army
fliers together presented our country with
one of the most pivotal victories in World
War II through a combination of superior
planning and code breaking, plain good luck,
and ultimately extraordinary heroism.
At Midway, the Japanese lost four irre-
placeable aircraft carriers, 322 of their fi nest
aircraft, and 4,800 personnel, including more
than 200 of their most-experienced pilots.
American casualties included one carrier,
147 aircraft, and 307 men. We did not win the
war in the Pacifi c at Midway, but surely the
Japanese lost it there, for never again were
they able to go on the offensive. America of-
fered up her best at Midway, and it was more
than enough.
68 MILITARY OFFICER DECEMBER 2007 PHOTOS: ABOVE, NAVAL HISTORICAL FOUNDATION; TOP, MAJ. DALE ROBINSON, USMC-RET.
DDec_midway.indd 68ec_midway.indd 68 111/1/07 11:30:30 PM1/1/07 11:30:30 PM
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